Editing 2556: Turing Complete
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Many pieces of hardware and software are supposed to be Turing complete (even Excel, as previously pointed out in [[2453: Excel Lambda]]). Some other things turn out to be Turing complete, even if they weren't designed for it (for instance, the tabletop game [https://arstechnica.com/science/2019/06/its-possible-to-build-a-turing-machine-within-magic-the-gathering/ Magic: The Gathering] or, at least within xkcd meta-reality, [[505: A Bunch of Rocks|rocks in a desert]]). Whatever [[Ponytail]] has been referring to is not shown, but it seems to be an anecdote about how something seemingly too simple and/or specialized to exhibit such a computational equivalence has been discovered to actually be that capable. Ponytail may refer to the recent articles about the background of the NSO zero click exploit for iPhones, e.g. [https://securityboulevard.com/2021/12/nso-zero-click-exploit-turing-complete-cpu-in-image-file/ this]. | Many pieces of hardware and software are supposed to be Turing complete (even Excel, as previously pointed out in [[2453: Excel Lambda]]). Some other things turn out to be Turing complete, even if they weren't designed for it (for instance, the tabletop game [https://arstechnica.com/science/2019/06/its-possible-to-build-a-turing-machine-within-magic-the-gathering/ Magic: The Gathering] or, at least within xkcd meta-reality, [[505: A Bunch of Rocks|rocks in a desert]]). Whatever [[Ponytail]] has been referring to is not shown, but it seems to be an anecdote about how something seemingly too simple and/or specialized to exhibit such a computational equivalence has been discovered to actually be that capable. Ponytail may refer to the recent articles about the background of the NSO zero click exploit for iPhones, e.g. [https://securityboulevard.com/2021/12/nso-zero-click-exploit-turing-complete-cpu-in-image-file/ this]. | ||
β | {{w|Mario}} is the lead character in a long running series of video games including {{w|Donkey Kong}}, {{w|Super Mario Bros}} and {{w|Mario Kart}}. Running video games, [https://hackaday.com/tag/does-it-run-doom/ such as Doom], is one common way of demonstrating the ability to run arbitrary programs on devices that were not intended as general purpose computers. | + | {{w|Mario}} is the lead character in a long running series of video games including {{w|Donkey Kong}}, {{w|Super Mario Bros}} and {{w|Mario Kart}}. Running video games, [https://hackaday.com/tag/does-it-run-doom/ such as Doom], is one common way of demonstrating the ability to run arbitrary programs on devices that were not intended as general purpose computers. |
β | + | With complex processors now installed in many household items, including large kitchen appliances like dishwashers, the possibility is raised that someone has 'hacked' such a device to do the same computational work as an actual games console. Alternatively, if hackers working on behalf of a foreign government have discovered an undetected exploit in a nation's cyber-defenses, the fact that a piece of infrastructure accessible to outsiders is Turing-complete (and could thus potentially be used to execute arbitrary code) may come as a very unpleasant surprise to the nation being attacked. | |
The {{w|FORCEDENTRY|ForcedEntry}} exploit is a way that was developed to allow {{w|PDF}} files to force malware onto various devices. PDF files are normally used to present documents. The exploit uses a PDF's ability to do logic operations on pixels to implement [https://googleprojectzero.blogspot.com/2021/12/a-deep-dive-into-nso-zero-click.html a simple virtual CPU] within one of the PDF renderer's decompression functions. Constructing a CPU in this way is similar to how a hardware CPU is made of individual logic gates. ForcedEntry was publicized a few days before this comic came out. | The {{w|FORCEDENTRY|ForcedEntry}} exploit is a way that was developed to allow {{w|PDF}} files to force malware onto various devices. PDF files are normally used to present documents. The exploit uses a PDF's ability to do logic operations on pixels to implement [https://googleprojectzero.blogspot.com/2021/12/a-deep-dive-into-nso-zero-click.html a simple virtual CPU] within one of the PDF renderer's decompression functions. Constructing a CPU in this way is similar to how a hardware CPU is made of individual logic gates. ForcedEntry was publicized a few days before this comic came out. |